I really like my robot ninjas.  Last week I featured another robot ninja game, Hagane.  This week is Taito’s Ninja Warriors.  This is actually based on the sequel to the arcade Ninja Warriors, and is called “Ninja Warriors Again” again in Japan.  I guess somone figured the name was pretty dumb, but enough of that, lets get to the game.  It’s a side-scrolling beat-em-up, similar to X-men Mutant Apocalypse.  You have your choice of three characters, the Big strong slow guy, the fast but weak girl, and the guy who is in between.  Each character has a lot of moves in thier arsenal, and can pick up and throw things at enemies.  There is also a super power bar which allows you to unleash a mega attack.  Yeah, it’s familiar territory, but damn if it ain’t fun.  Download the rom, you won’t regret it, especially if you like robot ninjas.

Lets see, I already featured Silent Hill 2 and 4 here, so it’s only natural I feature number 3. Many people like this better than 4, and it’s larger than 2, with a greater variety of enemies and weapons to use. You play as Heather, a teenage girl who gets caught up in the bizzare alternate universe of Silent Hill while enjoying a day of shopping at the mall. However, there is more to Heather than she seems, as you find out later on in the game through a big plot twist. The neat thing about this game, and the Silent Hill series in general, is that each entry in the series is stand alone, and they tell you just what you need to know about the previous titles. Though, there are several nods to the previous games in the series that are sure to make fans of Silent Hill happy. Another part of Silent Hill’s allure is the alternate world you find yourself in. At any moment, the tranquil world around you will dissolve into a horrifying alternate version with bloodstained walls and floors made of human skin. It’s terrifying and sure to provide several sleepless nights. Fans of survival horror should pick this game up already. If you’re lucky, you can even get a free soundtrack cd included with the game.

HALO 3 REVEALED.

Despite a stern warning from Bungie, the first scans from swedish game magazine “Level” have appeared online. All details, screenshots, etc are taken from Bungie’s first ever Multiplayer test of Halo 3 with the media. EGM already promised a full cover story for their next issue, but thatwon’t be in the mail for another week or so.

Video Games Blogger has published the scans and compiled translated info from members of the NeoGAF Surround yourself in the hype!

Some of my favorite bulletpoints:

• 4 Disc Collectors Editon, filled with documentaries, Red VS Blue, and HD cut scenes from all 3 games
• Valhalla is the new name for Blood Gulch
• 3 new weapons: Spartan Laser, Spiker, and Nail Grenade
• Weapons not in use will be visibly strapped to the players back. No more hiding the sword or Rocket Launcher!
• Two words: MAN CANNON

UPDATE: Bungie Weekly Update says they successfully test Halo 3 Matchmaking last night online with real testers on the regular internet. Wheee! They also mention the movie is going forward, and that EGM will publish more info and hi-res screens will be on 1UP and Bungie very very soon. so no need for me to go mirroring this swedish magazine photo.

UPDATE AGAIN: 1up.com has their Halo 3 mini site up and will be updating 3 times a week starting November 6.

UPDATE ONCE AGAIN: Looks like we’ve got some high res scans of this Swedish magazine right here and a more thorough translation of the article over at Geezer Gamers. These maps look incredible. – Ernie

Movieblog reminded me theres a new animated Hellboy movie coming on Cartoon Network TOMORROW NIGHT.

Hellboy: Sword of Storms, the first of the animated Hellboy movies, debuts Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

Sorry we couldn’t get enough advance warning here on the front page, but set your Tivos and VCRs to record for whats sure to be some good pre-Halloween viewing. Miss this and your next chance won’t be until the February 6 DVD release.

Theres another Hellboy movie on the way called “Blood & Iron” next year. Best part is these animated flicks star Ron Perlman and Selma Blair from the fantastic Hellboy live action movie a couple years back.

Loads more info at the Hellboy Animated Production diaries!

Regardless of what you may think, Spider-Man 2099 was kind of cool.

Being a newcomer to comic stores in the early 90s, I was all-in with the 2099 univese. Doom, Ravage, Punisher… I found a new Marvel Universe was starting up right there in 1992 and I could get in on the ground floor. I’ve got this problem with not wanting to get into a book in the middle of a story that goes on to this day (still having trouble with DC after Crisis, and Civil War scares me), but with new characters, I could know everything about them as it happened.

Spiderman 2099 was the first book to come out, and lasted the longest, well in 1996 with 46 issues. Read all about him on his Wikipedia entry. He was without a doubt the coolest of 2099, because his powers were more spider-like, and even as a lad his origins of being screwed over by corporate America resonated with me. He was truly the champion of the working man! Since getting to know Miguel O’Hara, I’ve become a lot more comfortable with generational roles in comics and other tales, and rather like the idea that there will be a Spider-Man 2099 or a Batman Beyond long after today’s heroes are gone. It further humanizes Peter Parker today to know that he won’t always be there and someday someone will take his place.

I bring all this up because ToyBiz/Marvel are about to release a new toy of him in the Spiderman Origins line. This appears to be a long awaited proper release, as ToyBiz previously made a toy of Spidey 2099, but it was a K*B Toys exclusive recolor of the “black suit” Spiderman Figure at the time. This was around December 2000, if I recall correctly, and predated a lot of the Marvel Legends we so love today. The new toy is shy on molded details, but has a lot of the movement we’ve grown accustomed to and a great paint deco.

I of course, am holding out hope for an all 2099 Marvel Legends series, but thats another one for the Marvel Legends Wishlist.

The second round of voting for the Four Horsemen‘s FANtastic Exclusive 2007 has ended. This round determined the actual character from the property chosen in the first round. The first round determined the fans wanted to continue with the 7th Kingdom property. By a landslide vote, the winner for the second round of voting was another representative from the animal kingdom, the Elephant Swordsman, beating out the distantly tied Elemental Warlord and my favorite the human Queen.

The Four Horsemen also passed word along that last year’s exclusive Xetheus and his minotaur soldiers have arrived at 4H’s offices. That means we’ll be seeing them in the mail very soon. I was fortunate enough to get a full set, except for the recently added Royal Guardsman. You can be sure that an episode of PowetToys will feature these figures.

The third round of voting will be starting very soon and will determine the scale height of the figure along with the amount of articulation it will feature.

A new Villains trailer is available for the Marvel Ultimate Alliance game RIGHT HERE, and it’s actually pretty sweet.  It showcases a large number of villains, lists off some of the heroes, and shows off some of the battle locations in the process.

While all the heroes that flash by super-fast at the end are already listed on the official site, many of the villains shown are not, so here’s a rundown of who made an appearance:

• Doctor Doom
• Loki
• Fin Fang Foom (incorrectly spelled as FING Fang Foom)
• Blackheart (Mephisto’s son)
• Mephisto
• Mandarin
• Ymir (a frost giant, one of Thor’s enemies)
• Ultron
• Kurse (another Asgardian enemy of Thor’s)
• Ulik (a rock troll, ANOTHER Asgardian enemy of Thor’s)
• Arcade-Bot (presumably a robot of Arcade’s)
• and Galactus

So clearly, the game’s going to spend a decent chunk of time dealing with Asgardian problems, which hopefully means we’ll actually be in Asgard.  This is some good thinking, as it can lead to some scenarios and scenery which will be completely unique from not only the rest of the game, but from other comparable games (like X-Men Legends, or the upcoming Justice League Heroes). By the way, if you’re too lazy to poke around their site yourself, you can find a full listing of currently revealed heroes and villains after the jump.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

The biggest news: Microsoft Partners with Peter Jackson. Not only is PJ producing the forthcoming Halo movie, he’s also developing a brand new game with his new Wingnut Interactive development company. In addition to the brand new game, he’s scripting a new Halo game with Bungie. A Halo game that is not Halo 3, but a brand new entry in the series.
Further, theres the long rumoured, much anticipated HALO WARS. Its an Xbox 360 exclusive Real Time Strategy game set at the outset of the war with the Covenant, back when Master Chief was actually a Master Chief of a group of highly trained SPARTAN warriors and not just a clever name. Read more direct from Bungie here.

Also, DOOM available on XBLA. Right now. Seriously. Doom 1. Full game, multiplayer, everything. Download it, play tonight.

Guitar Hero 360 is coming next year. Downloads are promised, but that white Explorer guitar is only a prototype.

For reasons unknown, Microsoft is allowing Rare to make another Banjo game.

We’ve already shown you Marvel Universe Online, but may I say this game looks like it may just cure the blues for folk like me who are bummed only 24 playable characters are in Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Let’s just hope Cryptic tries to grab hold of the X-Men Legends audience with great gameplay.

Thanks to SparkStalker for links!